ATP Tokyo: Mardy Fish vs. Ryan Harrison

Mardy Fish takes on young American tyro Ryan Harrison in the opening round of the Japan Open in Tokyo.

Fish has enjoyed a phenomenal 2011 season and he's on the brink of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time. It may be a routine achievement for the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal but for Fish, the chance to compete in the prestigious end of season bonanza is a major goal.

He performed admirably over the summer, reaching the Montreal Masters final and the semis in Cincinnati but when it came to the big one, Fish once again couldn't deliver. He was bitterly disappointed to fall in the US Open fourth round and will hope to put that behind him going into the final two months of the tour.

Harrison has already had two shots at Fish this year and will be chomping at the bit for another opportunity. The first match was a little one-sided, Fish winning 6-2, 6-4 in the Atlanta semis but a week later in Los Angeles, it was much closer, Fish's experience seeing him to a 6-0, 4-6, 7-6(3) victory.

Harrison has found life on the tour tough since then and the draws haven't been kind to him. He got Marin Cilic first round at the US Open and found himself outplayed 6-3, 6-2 by Nikolay Davydenko in Kuala Lumpur last week.